The way over to see Professor Oak was rather direct and serene. I held Vulcan, the adorable male Cyndaquil I had been given, in my arms, talking to it quietly. It was a rather timid little fellow, unsure of its power, but very happy to go out and see the world. It understood I was confused, and let me go along in silence most of the time. I sorted through my mind as we went, trying to find out more about my past, but no new information came. I went on like this until Vulcan started to growl.
A little Sentret stood before us, growling back at Vulcan, and standing upright, ready to attack. I was confused for a moment, and then I remembered. Wild Pokemon were sometimes aggressive in this region. There had been some sort of cause to this, something I was connected to, but I couldn't remember exactly what it was. Vulcan jumped down ready to fight. I sensed the energy from Vulcan, and sensed it was only old enough to know two attacks. I didn't think a normal human could do that either.
Sentret ran forward in a tackle, and I ordered Vulcan to return the attack. The two lunged at each other for a few moments, but eventually Vulcan won out, and sent the wild Sentret to the ground, dead.
I hated to watch it die. It wasn't just Vulcan I could sense, I was aware of the Sentret too, and I could feel its pain every moment until its death. Sensing something unusual, Vulcan finished it off quickly, before sitting expectantly in front of me. I picked it up and started to pet it, but my mind was elsewhere. Thankfully, we did not encounter another Pokemon until we reached the next city on the road, Cherrygrove.
The town was fairly small, consisting of only a few buildings. I recognized one large building in particular. It was red, and had a more curved shape to it. I was aware that it was called a Pokecenter, and it was a place for trainers to rest when they were traveling. I noticed that Ember was still a little weak from the last fight, but it insisted that we keep on going, and I moved ahead. The road to the north was similar, with a Caterpie in our way this time. Ember made sure to kill it quickly, and I felt the pain of both contenders in the fight. I was somewhat relieved when the Caterpie's pain stopped.
At the top of the hill was a mid-size laboratory, the home of Mr. Pokemon, a human researcher, where Oak was staying at the time. I hesitantly approached the door, and knocked hesitantly. I thought that humans did that when they wanted into the home of another human. I was now starting to be certain that I was indeed a human, and tried to live and think like one, but there were still moments where I had to question things.
Mr. Pokemon, a man dressed casually and slightly younger than Elm.opened the door and led me inside. Oak was sitting in the room, and something in my mind stirred violently, but never revealed why he was so important. Oak was an older man in his earlier seventies, with a faint scar underneath his left eye that ran all the way to his left ear. I faintly remembered a fire, and made a connection between the scar and the flames.
Oak looked at me long and hard, and then asked Mr. Pokemon to leave. Oak stared for a few moments, and then asked in the same cautious tone as Elm, "You really don't know who you are?"
"No. I'm starting to remember a few vague things, but I can't remember anything about my own life. I can't even remember my name."
Oak stared into space for a moment. "That is for the best perhaps. I will tell you eventually, but I was never fully aware of the truth myself. You are important, I will tell you that much. The only other thing I will tell you is that your enemies are still alive, and will know very soon about your awakening. They will come for you, and it will be best if you come prepared. As for how you may find out, I believe that you will find out on your own in a few months. As for what you do next, I suggest you take the gym challenge. A series of the best trainers will oppose you, and if you can defeat all eight leaders of the land, you may fight the best at the Indigo Plateau. This will not only give you more challenges to improve your skills and perhaps jar your memory, but you must train. If I am correct, there is not much time left for you."
I started to ask a question, when Oak raised his hand and stopped me. "I know this is confusing. Here, take this. It's a Pokedex, a device that will allow you to contact me if anything drastic should happen. It is also an encyclopedia of Pokemon, completed by an assistant of mine a few years back, that will help you on your journey. Beyond that, take this. It is an egg. It will eventually hatch into a Pokemon that can help you on your journey. Beyond this," he stood, starting for the door, "you must write your own adventure. Good luck, and may the HAX be with you."
He walked out the door, straight past a stunned Mr. Pokemon, leaving us alone. Mr. Pokemon let me stay in his house that night, and I didn't object. I needed some time to think before I went back to see Elm. Oak's words had jogged a few memories. I remembered the gym leaders, but I had an impression that they were evil dictators, not mere trainers like Oak had implied. I also knew what the Pokedex was, and vaguely remembered the reference he had made to an assistant.
Vulcan noticed I was confused, and rubbed against me, trying to get me to calm down. I stroked it, but never really stopped thinking. Late in the night, a strange weight in my body overcame me, and I fell asleep.
There was a strange blue light in my sleep, laughing at me from what appeared to be a great distance. "So, the sleeper awakens. We shall see how far you can get. Oak was a fool, and refused to give you full warning. But beware, your time approaches, and nothing can stop your death." The laughter surrounded me, and I woke up with a start.
It was dawn outside, and Vulcan was nudging me curiously, wondering what was happening. I stroked it down, whispering for it not to worry. Mr. Pokemon had food waiting for Vulcan and I, but didn't ask any questions as we ate. I thanked him, and Vulcan and I set out for the day.
There was no interference until we got into Cherrygrove, and I ran down the path, playing with Vulcan and trying to forget the dream. It was strange how after losing any memories I had, I was already trying to lose them again. I laughed at the thought, and even though he didn't understand why I was laughing, Vulcan laughed too.
Inside of Cherrygrove, we were stopped by a red-headed human male, about my age. He was running down the street, and bumped into me, knocking me over. I got up, ignoring him, when he smirked down, a look of power in his eye. "Wait, where do you think you're going? I have Pokemon, you have Pokemon, and we just met. My name is Silver, and I will be the best. We will battle now, and the world shall witness my power!"
He was yelling now, making sure that everyone around us was aware of the challenge. I knew that humans used Pokemon to fight thier battles periodically. That was honestly beneath me. I wasn't going to let Vulcan die for some petty fight, and the ability to sense the pain of both Pokemon was a major reason for me not to accept.
I started to walk past him, "Come on Vulcan, he's not worth our time."
Silver smiled, and sent out a small crocodile Pokemon. "Chomper, let's show them what we do to people who run from fights." Chomper growled, and ran straight towards me before being knocked back by Vulcan. I sensed that Vulcan would be powerful enough to use it, so I ordered a Smokescreen attack. A huge jet of a black fog shot out from Vulcan's mouth, leaving Chomper and Silver blind. I could still sense both Pokemon through the gas.
"Good, now use Leer to your left." Vulcan shot out a golden beam from its eyes, locking onto Chomper somewhere in the darkness. Vulcan then began to tackle towards the point where Leer had hit, and started hitting Chomper hard, before Silver withdrew it, not quite willing to let it die.
He said only this through the screen before he ran off, "Very well, take the win this time. But one of these days I will win, and you will be very sorry for using your cowardly tactics."
